* 1903: Wyoming game and fish laws make it a misdemeanor to hunt, kill or trap grizzly bears on any national forest reserves in Wyoming, except during open game seasons.

* 1937: Grizzly bears are classified as game animals on most national forests and in the Black Hills, and as predators in the remainder of the state. The animal is later classified by the Game and Fish Commission as a "trophy game animal" all across the state, with fixed hunting seasons and bag limits for grizzly bears.

* 1968: Harvest of grizzly bears within Wyoming by hunters occurs until 1968. During that time period, there were no restrictions on the hunter harvest of grizzly bears and no mandatory hunter reporting of harvested grizzly bears.

* 1970: Grizzly bear hunting resumes. A limited number of licenses are issued in Park and Teton counties following the creation of a special license in 1970 by the Game and Fish Department for the take of grizzly bears.

* 1970-1974: Known harvest during 1970-74 ranged from three to eight grizzly bears each year. A total of 28 bears were harvested during that time, with seven bears killed by hunters in the final year of 1974. The number of permits issued decreased from a high of 30 in 1970 to a low of 12 in 1974.

* 1975: The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission suspends the hunting of grizzly bears in Wyoming.

* July 28, 1975: Grizzly bears are federally listed as threatened under the terms of the Endangered Species Act. Federal law prohibits the taking of any grizzly bears, except for those bears that are an immediate threat to human safety.

* 1983: The Yellowstone Ecosystem Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, and various subcommittees, are established to coordinate grizzly bear recovery efforts in the three-state Yellowstone region of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.

* 1990: Game and Fish adopts a strategic plan that calls for maintaining at least 7,229 square miles of occupied grizzly bear habitat in Wyoming. The plan does not address, however, management of the grizzly bear following delisting.

* July 2000: The Game and Fish Commission directs the department to develop a grizzly bear management plan that would go into effect after management is turned back over to the three states. Federal recovery criteria require the three states to develop federally approved plans for managing the animal after delisting.

* February 2001: A Wyoming draft grizzly bear management plan is submitted to the commission.

* Summer 2001: The commission submits the draft management plan for public review. The agency receives more than 8,000 written comments on the draft plan. The department issues a special report on the plan in September 2001.

* February 2002: The Game and Fish Commission approves a final "Wyoming Grizzly Bear Management Plan." The commission instructs the department to begin developing occupancy guidelines under the plan.

* September 2004: The department begins a public involvement process and stakeholder meetings for the draft occupancy management plan. The agency receives more than 17,000 comments from the public on the occupancy plan -- more than the department had received on any other issue in its history.

* December 2004: Federal officials estimate the Yellowstone grizzly bear populations in the three states is from 680 to 700 animals, well within recovery parameters required for delisting.

* July 2005: The Game and Fish Commission adopts a final "Grizzly Bear Occupancy Management Proposal Following Delisting as a Threatened Species." The proposal outlines areas considered suitable for grizzly bear occupancy in Wyoming and represents the final piece in the state's overall plan.

* November 2005: A proposal to delist the Yellowstone population of the grizzly bear is published in the Federal Register. The public comment deadline on the proposal is set for Feb. 15, 2006.

Source: Wyoming Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service